Newsweek July 4, 2025

2019 “The U.S. China relationship—for decades routinely called the most important bilateral relationship on the planet—has all but collapsed,” Newsweek reported. Now, relations between the superpowers have devolved even further, as President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policy—at one point reaching up to 145 percent on Chinese imports—has ramped up tensions. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced the U.S. would revoke visas of Chinese students, including “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” 1963 “Clearly, this was Milan’s Cardinal [Giovanni] Montini, the public favorite,” Newsweek said of the newly elected Pope Paul VI. In May, after the death of Pope Francis, U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was named the first American pontiff in history—taking the name Pope Leo XIV. 1976 “And so…

Israeli rescue teams comb through debris in a residential area of Tel Aviv on June 16 after Iran launched a missile offensive that killed 24 people and injured more than 500. Tehran fired the wave of attacks in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, which killed 78 people and wounded more than 320. Israel described its June 13 operation as a “preemptive” military campaign intended to neutralize what it called an existential nuclear threat posed by Iran.…

A NEW TOOL ALLOWS PARENTS UNDERGOING in vitro fertilization to screen their embryos for health issues, but is it ethical? Genetic disease is believed to be linked to 41 percent of U.S. infants’ deaths, and more than 2 million children in the country have a genetic condition. U.S.-based Nucleus is offering people having IVF the chance to select their embryos by using software that highlights various genetic markers linked to health, with the aim of reducing preventable genetic diseases. Its CEO, Kian Sadeghi, who was 7 when his 15 year-old cousin died suddenly from one, told Newsweek: “Seeing this genetic lottery, when someone wins and someone doesn’t, really stuck with me.” Technology that tries to prevent genetic diseases like sickle cell disease, where patients have unusually shaped red blood cells,…

A DECADE AFTER SAME-SEX MAR-riage was legalized nationwide via a Supreme Court ruling, many LGBTQ+ individuals fear the right may no longer be secure, with some signs that long-growing Republican acceptance of it could be waning. Obergefell v. Hodges was decided on June 26, 2015, in a 5-4 ruling. Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who still sit on the nation’s top court, wrote dissenting opinions along with their former colleague, the late Justice Antonin Scalia. While Gallup polling in 2015 showed that just 37 percent of Republicans thought same-sex marriages should be valid, that number hit a record high of 55 percent in 2022 but has fallen to 41 percent as of May. Over the past few months, conservative lawmakers in at least nine states have introduced…

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL TOP THE list of desired destinations for digital nomads and aspiring expats for more than a few good reasons. They have delicious food, temperate climates, fascinating art and architecture, and relatively low costs of living compared to much of Europe. Their worker-friendly employment policies include over a month of paid time off for vacation and public holidays, as well as four months of paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers. Particularly enticing may be the bonus paychecks for employees in both June and December to help families enjoy the summer and winter holidays. But that’s not the only payroll quirk that makes these countries unique, and the other one might make some wannabe Madrileños or Lisboetas think twice. If you work for an employer based in…

INDIA DOES NOT WANT WAR with Pakistan, but its neighbor is a legitimate target if it does not close “terrorist camps” and should avoid “nuclear blackmail”, said Shashi Tharoor, chairman of the Indian Parliament’s Committee on External Affairs. The nations clashed over four days in May as India struck targets it alleged were terrorist infrastructure after the killing of the 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan denied any role in the Islamist attack on tourists and retaliated for the Indian strikes before the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed a ceasefire. “We’re not interested in war. We’re focused on our own growth and development, on the well-being and prosperity of our people,” Tharoor told Newsweek in Washington, D.C. A member of parliament from the opposition Indian National Congress, Tharoor showed a unified front…